• The forums will be unavailable for a few hours on Saturday 6th June, when they do return they will initially be in a degraded state with some features missing, but normal posting/reading will be possible. The main website will not be affected by these updates.
    New user registrations are currently disabled.
    Some other features of the forum are also currently disabled.

A very powerful moment in British sport

Status
Not open for further replies.

Didn’t watch any of the media circus on the moment the beloved PL returned and all the joy that was felt ! Was the ‘knee’ a sweet moment that changed the sport in one meaningful and heartfelt gesture ?
 
My 8 year old son asked about it and why black lives matter was on the back of all the tops. I did my best to explain and hopefully this will stay with him and shape his attitudes as he grows up. Culture cannot be changed over night but behaviours can be shaped from small but powerful messages and actions.
 
  • Like
Reactions: TAD
42 said:
Both of those things are also linked to poverty. If black people aren't given the same opportunities, then there will be higher levels of poverty & by default higher levels of crime & poor academic performance.
Click to expand...

But your correct recognition of black communities being disproportionately affected by poverty works on another assumption of racism. This narrative ignores the possibility that there are other reasons for this. It's an assumption that will continue to hold black communities back. The only way to redress the balance would be to actively promote black students into top university places and highly paid professions. A radical positive discrimination policy would be the only way to resolve these discrepancies. There needs to be an in depth comparison of like for like black and white university applicants, job applicants, prison sentences, school exclusions etc. Looking at unfavourable outcomes for black people backed by statistics and concluding that this is the result of institutional racism is a very unreliable way of reaching such a conclusion.
sir rowell cummins said:
It isn't a political statement
Click to expand...

If you can't see how the black lives matter movement has hundreds of political implications then you do not understand the implications that the movement is advocating. I suggest you visit their website that urges you to support their 'political movement'.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Good to see. Rather telling that it annoys so many people. Frustrating, but to be expected given UK culture. The ‘way over the top’ comments scream ‘right you’ve had your front page, settle down now and back to normal’

Furthermore I’m very glad that we are seeing overt politics be reintroduced to football. It started trickling back in over the poppygate stuff a few years ago. Football is inherently one of the most political things on earth. A level playing field for working class communities to punch up. An outward expression of a communities values through terrace culture. The idea that politics could have ever been purged from football was delusional, because the politics of identity is what separate football from everything else. The sterile attempts to do so by the premier league failed miserably, and the absence of politics is what makes the pre-fab MLS a lightweight in US sport.
 
Last edited:
RedFlag1308 said:
Football is inherently one of the most political things on earth.
Click to expand...

I agree but the problems arise when football is seen to support some movements but shun others. It then becomes impossible to be completely inclusive. Of course some movements like Black Lives Matter are movements worthy of support but there are others which are less palatable. Who gets to make the judgement call?
 
You must be logged on to see external links

This is going to ruffle a few feathers. Soon to be the most hated woman in Britain. She might have a few things to say about racial equality that doesn't sit well with too many.
 
sambantam82 said:
I agree but the problems arise when football is seen to support some movements but shun others. It then becomes impossible to be completely inclusive. Of course some movements like Black Lives Matter are movements worthy of support but there are others which are less palatable. Who gets to make the judgement call?
Click to expand...

I don’t really see that as an argument for shunning all statements. This is an incredibly obvious issue of right and wrong. It has widespread support and is largely completely uncontroversial, that is why the premier league are involved. It’s similar to wearing a black armband for the victims of a tragedy or holding the minutes silence on armistice day. There isn’t really a debate to be had.

However, football as a whole such as FIFA or the PL don’t get involved in everything. Arsenal run around with an advert for Paul Kagme on their shirts and silenced Mesut Özil when he was raising issues of genocide. The PL are silent, because those are issues for the clubs, in building their identity as political structures to be judged accordingly by those that care.

I think the line is level of public exposure. Something like BLM has dominated public discourse for weeks, to the point where silence is compliance. Neutrality doesn’t exist in something so culturally significant (and not should it).
 
Last edited:
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top